Running board for container cars



Nov. 3, 1931. G. c. WOODRUFF RUNNING BOARD FOR CONTAINER CARS Filed May 23, 1931 7 Sheets-Sheet l Nov. 3, 1931. G. c. WOODRUFF RUNNING BOARD FOR CONTAINER CARS Filed May 28, 1951 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 LL L Nov.,3, 1931. G. C. WOODRUFF RUNNING BOARD FOR CONTAINER CARS Filed May, 28 1931 7 Sheets-Sheet 3 Malta w 6L1 Nov. 3 1931. c. wooDRuFF 1,830,307

RUNNING BOARD FOR CONTAINER CARS Filed Mayv 28 1931 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 Nov; 3, 1931.-

G. c. WOODRUFF RUNNING BOARb -1 0R CONTAINER CARS 7 Sheet-Shet 5 Filed Mayza 1931 Nov. 3, 1931. G. c. WOODRUFF 1,330,307

RUNNING BOARD FOR CONTAINER CARS I I Filed May 2a, 1931 ,7 Sheets- Sheet s Nov. 3, 1931. v G. c. WOODRUFF 1,830,307

RUNNING BOARD FOR CONTAINER CARS v I I FiledMay 2a, 1931 7 Sheets-Sheet '7 Patented Nov; 3, 1931 OFFICE "GRAH M o: woonnnrn'or BRONXVILLE, NEW Yonxg'hssmnon TO THE L, 0. 1..

. a 1 ooRroRATmm-A CORPORATION or DELAWARE Application and m 2s,"1, 9isi.-;ser a1in. 540,767.

surname 301x31 FOR" oon'mmnn; cans ..special conditions; i V p 30 Still another object of the invention is to 1 Thisinventioh relates to safety appliances :for container cars,a'nd particularly drop side ,7 container cars, and has special reference to theprovision of safety running boards and 's'laddersffor cars of'this type. M i One objectfof the invention is to provide" simpleyr eliable andlefiicient means of this character to permititrainmen to passfwith" safety overaloade'dcar or. string of cars, a I0 and to provide a longitudinal running board arrangement conformin to safety appliance =IGq11II'GIIIBIItSfOI'bOX RD other house-cars.

Another objectof. the invention is to pro-1 vide anovel'construction and arrangement 1, 15 of endoriside and-end ladders in comun'ction with a longitudinal running board, and,

if desired, with transverse running boards, whereby acarmaybe'equipped with safety I Y i appliances of suchtype' without interfering 2 0with the transfer ofthe containers to from the'car;

f Still another object of the .invention is to I provide" a safety appliance arrangement of l ladders and platformor platforms which may be'made of light materials without sacrifice I of strength and durability, and. which may be easily modified in construction for applicati'onto diiferentformsof cars andtdmeet provide a construction giving full complement, of safety. appliances, including longitudinaliand transverse running boards, side andend ladders, eta, without unduly increasing the weight added to the'car.

' e QWith .theseand other-objectsinview, the i inventionconsists ofthe features of construc tion, combination and arrangement of parts,

F Jhereinafter-fuIly describedand claimed, ref

' 1 erence-being hadto.theaccompanying draw;

V ings,,inwhich:ir: r l V i *1 is a side elevation of one end-portion of apdrop side" contalnercar equipped lthe 'inventionr a a, Fig. 2 is amende eyatibntfthe car shown 5 arranged' in alined pairs :withend and side ladders and a longitudinal running board constructed in accordance with Fig; 11 is asec'tionon line 11. 11 of Fig. 10;

In the practical embodiment ofthe inven-]' tion" as disclosed in Figs. 1 t0 8, inclusive, 1 designatesa freight car'of drop-side gondola oropen-toptype including side and end sills 2 and3, a floor/l, spaced angle metal uprights at opposite sides of the car and bolted or riveted t0 the side sills, and drop door 6 of suitable type ar ranged in the spaces between the uprights 5 at each side of the car. The alined pairs of uprights 5 at opposite sides of the car may be connected by'transverse angle metal bracebars Tlarranged at a suitable elevation above the floor 4 and spaced therefrom by braces 8, the. bars 7 andbraces 8 forming openwork'bulk heads or partitions arranged at intervals along the length of the car and providing with the doors 6 compartments for the reception of the removable freight cone tainers 9, whichmay be of any of the constructions' commonly employed. The containers'maybe fastened in position in their compartments inany preferred manner so as to prevent them from shifting, or theymay beheld from'shifting by the bulk-heads and the drop doors; The carmay be provided ornotwith'fised end wallswhich, when used may form the outer endwalls of the end con tainer -compartme'nts, but, when side ladders are employed, fixed end wallsmay beidis pensed with andithe bulk-heads forming the outertend walls of the end compartments terminate a suitabledistance inwardly from the endwsills, to allow proper'space for the use of side ladders without interfering with horizontal section on 55 wheelf28, In order to rigidly support the the transferof containers to and'from the end compartments. The drop door 6 may be arranged to. drop down to a horizontal position without and to serve as gangways or transfer platforms'over which the containers may pass between the container compartments and a loading platform 'at a station, or the doors maybe adapted to drop fully down to a vertical position, in which event gan ways or, loading platforms sepac.

b I l described provides at ,each end of the car rate from the doors may be used. In the structural organization illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive, a side ladder 10 and an end ladder 11 areemployed at each end of the car and on oppositesid'es of the longitu-" dinalcenter of the car at'the oppositeends thereof. Each ladder structure comprises a pairof L-shaped angle metalside bars or rails 12 and rod-like rungs 13 connecting the same, said bars or rails, 12 (being united by bracket plates 14 and bolts or'rivets 15 to similarly shaped upright frame bars 16 fastened at their lower ends by the rivets to the side or end sill, as the case may be, and said "b ars'16 extending beyondthe upper ends of theladder rails and to a suitablellevel above the leveiof the top of the container and being united at their upper ends to the anglemetal side rails 17 of atransverse running board 18. A single frame bar16'may be'employed between theadjacent rails 12 of theladders 10 and 11 towhich said rails are fastened, in-

stead of employinga separate frame bar for each rail, as shown particularlyin Fig. 5. "Also arranged at each end of the car and slidablysecured at their lower ends to the end sill or other'parts of the car frame are intermediate frame bars'19 which are secured;

at their upper ends totheend and side frame rails 20 and 21' of a longitudinal runnlng board 22, which is suitably united to the frame rails of the adjacent transverse running board at each-end. -of theca'r. The platforms 18 and 22 may be provided with suitable guard railings 23 and24, and the guard railing 23 a may be formed "impart-by agrip bar a ranged to be readilysgrasped by atrainman passing to or-from the ladder 10; If desired the frame bar 25' and adjacent frame bar'16' may carry supporting brackets; for 7 a foot boarder platform 26 through. which a; hand brake shaft 27 mayextend andinwhich said shaft may be ournaled, which platform will serve as a support on which a brakeman may stand while actuating the brake shaft hand are provided betweenthe end frame supports,

which frame members, 29 may be carried by the cross bars 7 and consist of angle metal bars 29 connected cby bottom, top and intermediate "braces 30,31jand 32, and suitably fastened at its loweriand upper ends to the cross :bar- 5 and the ladder frame. This arr- 7 rangement also adaptsthe board or platform 26 to form a bracing connection-between the ladder and running board frame members,

thus increasing their strength, and the platform 26 may serve as a step forthe convenience of a trainman in stepp ng up and down between the ladder 11 and theplat-forms 18 and 22, in which operation the hand wheel;

28'may be used as a holdfast'or grip element. It. will .beseen that the construction of parts side and end ladder frames which aremu: tually stayed and: braced and are arranged toallow a trainman to ascend or descend from the running boardsfromthe side or end 0f the car, and which ladder frames also form supplemental parts of a framing which sup v ports the longitudinal and transverse running boards at a properlelevation above the containers 9, so that "a'trainma'n'may pass "from end to end of the car ors tand at either end of the car at a suitable elevation-to operate, the hand brake gearor to perform other cus light butstrong and du rablezframework and ladder and running board arrangement which does not add an. undue amount of additional weight to the car, and which permitsffree;

transfer of the containers 9 to and from their compartments without interference from the laddersor running boards or any parts thereof. The guard railings'23 and 24v may be omitted, if desired, or modified to comply with safety requirements while giving 7 all necessary top clearance, f i c j V In the modified construction shown in Figs. 9, 10 and 11 the use of side ladders and transverse running boards is dispensed with and a specifically different construction of means provided for mounting the end'ladders and the longitudinal running board. VAs shown, a pair of Z-shaped framejbars 12' "are secured at their lower ends to a fixed end wall-33 of thecar' and projected upwardly therefrom and form the side rails of the end ladder 11;

or gripmember 34' are'connected. Also se curedqto and extending upwardly from the wall 33 is aframe bar '35 connected with the ad acent rail 12 by cross-braces 36 and "37' and form therewith, and with' interniediate uprights or frame supports'29, as: previously described,a frame support" for a longit'udin'al running'board 22 and to which the'rails of saidirunning boardare suitably fastened.

ladder andframe structure of this character is provided at each end ofthe carEfor cooper carry the'runningboard 181 which is disposed ation with the intermediate-supports 2 9 to 2' and unloading operations;

this case ders and a longitudinal running board whichj cars of the characterdescribed at a suitable elevation abovethe containers obstruction to "the free and unimpeded pasto and from the container compartments of the car in loading The structure in provideqend ladsage of the containers is also such as to maybe made of requisite strength and dura- A bility Without materially increasing the fixed Y load weight of the can, From the foregoing descri theimproved safetyappliance for container ily. understood and, appreciated without a further and extended descrlptiomand it will be seen that a simple, reliable. and efiicient type of safety-appliance isproduced for the 1 purpose which doesnot in. any manner interfere with the normal 'useof the car. While I the structural organizations disclosed are preferred, it is to be understood, of course, that. changes in the form, rangement of parts maybe, modified or varied within the scope of V withoutdeparting from the spirit or sacriconstruction and arthe appended claims,

ficing any of the advantages or the invention.

1; An open-top container car having"a A space for theireception of a removable freight I containerand provided with a running'board' 3 b rid in over such s ace.

series of container receiving compartments,

3; A container carhaving a longitudinal series of container compartments, partitions between the compartments, alrunning board b'ridging'over the compartments and sup- 7 ported at the ends of the car, and supports ,f or the-running board connected with said partitions. Y

4'. 'An open-topydrop-side container' car having container receivin'glspaces, and a runffning board bridging over said spaces.

5'. An open-top dropside container car havingcontainer receiving spaces, a running board bridging over saidspaces, and aladder; V I I V f 15. A contalner car having container re- I i leading to the running board.

' 1 6. A container car-having container receive ing spaces,'each, op'enJat the top and a side,

1 spaces, and arunning board extending. longi- A tudi-nally of the car over the container receiving, spaces, the car,

' ing spaces." v p 7. A container car having container receiv- A v 7 ing compartments, each tion, takenj in connection with the drawings, the construction, mode otoperation' and advantages of willbe read- 2. Acontainer car having a'longitudinal each openat the top and a side of 1 closures for the open sides of the con- 5 receiving spaces, running board.

8. A contalner car having container receivand ladders leading to the ing spaces, eachopen at top and a side, closures for the open sides of the container extending between the running board and the bulk-heads.- I

10. A container car having container receiving spaces, a running board extending longitudinally the running board forming ladders leading thereto. A

I 11. A container car having container re-. ceiving compartments, a running board ex- ;tending longitudinally over said compartments, and side and end ladders at each end 10f the car leading to said running board.

12. A container car having container receiving compartments, a running board extendover said compartments, boards at each end of the car, and side and end ladders at each end of the car leading to the running boards.

13. A container car having container receiving compartments, drop doors at the sides of the compartments, a running board extending over said compartments longitud- 'inally' of the car, and an upright frame at each end of the car forming ladders leading thereto.

' 14. A container car having container receiving compartments, drop sides for said compartments, a running board extending longitudinally over the compartments, up-

ing longitudinally transverse running supporting a platformand at the ends of the car leading to the running board, and supports for the running board ofthe car over said spaces, and supporting frames at each end of the car for right frames at each end of the car support-1 ng the running board and forming ladders leading thereto, and supports between compartment-s for the running board.

ceiving compartments, drop sides for the compartments, ladders extending upwardly from the car adjacent to but beyond the end "compartments, and a running board extendsaid ladders.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature. G. WOODRUFF.

tainer receiving spaces, a running board'ex- V tending longltudlnally. over said 00111331116?" ing over the compartments and supported by 

